Struggling 'D' Sparks Big Tribe Comeback

VILLANOVA, PA. — After playing the role of punching bag for three quarters, and quite often for the previous nine games, William and Mary's defense made a stand. Four of them, actually.

The Tribe finally slowed down Villanova long enough for the offense and special teams to catch up. The result was a wild, 48-41 come-from-behind victory in overtime Saturday at Villanova Stadium in as satisfying a performance as William and Mary has delivered this season.

"It's a great feeling on our side, so far as to be able to come back against as good a team as Villanova is," Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said. "For a team that hasn't won as much as we have this year, to play like some of the teams in the past was rewarding. It was exciting to see."

William and Mary (5-5 overall, 4-3 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) was seven minutes away from being assured of its first losing season since 1991. The Tribe trailed by 14 points and, despite moving the ball up and down the field, had been shut out in the second half.

But W&M quarterback Dave Corley engineered two touchdown drives in the final 6 minutes, 51 seconds of regulation to tie the score, the second after Tribe wide receiver Rich Musinski recovered an onside kick with 3:02 remaining. Corley's 2-point conversion run with 1:07 remaining, after All- America kicker Brett Sterba boinked the previous extra-point attempt off the right upright, tied the game at 41 and ultimately forced overtime.

The Tribe got the first possession of overtime and needed eight plays to punch in the go-ahead touchdown. The defense, aided by a 15-yard Villanova personal-foul penalty, smothered the Wildcats on third and fourth downs.

"There were some times when we were down and weren't doing so well on defense," W&M linebacker Todd Greineder said. "Even though we were down early, we talked about, no matter what happens, that we've got to go out there and play every snap. I was really, really pleased that we came through when we needed to, when the game was on the line."

It seems absurd to credit William and Mary's defense during a game in which Villanova rang up 527 yards and got record days from quarterback Brett Gordon and all-league back Brian Westbrook. Gordon threw for a career-best 375 yards, and Westbrook had 327 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.

But the Tribe squeezed the Wildcats in the fourth quarter and overtime as Gordon, hobbled on two bad knees, simply couldn't escape the pass rush. After completing 20 of 24 passes in the first three quarters, he connected on just four of his last 15 attempts.

"We were using a lot of different stunts and blitzes all day," Tribe defensive end Chris Stahl said. "We just started getting better at it and being a little quicker. We were able to get more pressure on him, and the (pass) coverage downfield got better."

The Tribe had plenty of offense, with 501 yards and an 11-minute, 36-second advantage in time of possession. Corley threw for 247 yards and rushed for a team-high 107 yards. Tailback Hameen Ali rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns, and fellow tailback Marcus Howard had 189 yards rushing and receiving, including a career-high 11 receptions.

The Wildcats (5-5, 3-4) didn't score on their final five possessions -though one was a two-play possession at the end of regulation as they set up for overtime - and suffered their third consecutive loss.

"There was so much ebb and flow to the game," Villanova coach Andy Talley said. "It comes down to the onside kick. If we handle the onside kick, the game's over, I think. They hadn't stopped us, and at least we'd get downfield and run some clock."

The first half looked like a flag football game, with eight scoring drives and the Tribe holding a 27-21 lead. In the second half, Villanova scored 20 consecutive points, including an 82-yard touchdown dash by Westbrook on which he went untouched around the right end. The Wildcats' last points came when Clarence Curry blocked Mike Nagelin's punt and recovered in the end zone for a 41-27 lead with 10:28 remaining.

"We had a little dry spell there for a minute, but when we had those spells, those were mistakes where we were killing our own drives," Corley said. "It wasn't anything they were doing to stop us. We just figured if we could get the ball back, we had a shot."

Dave Fairbank can be reached at 247-4637 or by e-mail at dfairbank@dailypress.com